The deadline for teams and players to exchange arbitration figures is today, and the Red Sox should prepare for a couple of cases of sticker shock. David Ortiz and Jacoby Ellsbury are among the eight Sox who remain eligible for arbitration, and both are coming off All-Star seasons, which should lead to considerable raises.

It should be noted that today's deadline merely is to exchange figures. The two sides can continue negotiating before hearings take place in February. Under previous general manager Theo Epstein, the Red Sox did not take a single case before an arbitrator in nine years. New GM Ben Cherington no doubt would like that streak to continue.